Suspect charged in triple murder at Southern California bowling alley
Torrance, Calif. — A 47-year-old man has been charged with killing three men at a bowling alley in Torrance last month, CBS Los Angeles reports. Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney John Chang said Reginald Leander Wallace, of Los Angeles, is charged with opening fire at Gable House Bowl on Jan. 4.
Victims Michael Radford, 20, Astin Edwards, 28, and Robert Meekins, 28, were killed.
Wallace faces three counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The charges announced by the D.A.'s office Friday include special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and killing to further the activities of a criminal street gang as well as allegations of using a handgun which caused great bodily injury and death.
The criminal complaint alleges Wallace was convicted as a juvenile in 1989 of first-degree murder and that he was convicted as an adult of bringing or possessing a gun within a school zone in 1997 and assault with a firearm in 1998.
Wallace's arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday.
He is being held without bail. If convicted as charged, Wallace faces death or life in prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made a later date.
The case remains under investigation by the Torrance Police Department.
Wes Hamad, a 29-year-old Torrance resident, was at the bowling alley with his 13-year-old niece and cousin when he saw a "huge fight" break out. Hamad said the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, blocked the entrance and spiraled into "complete chaos."
"I grabbed my niece and started running toward the far end of the bowling alley," he said. "As we were running, we heard 15 shots."
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, said her heart broke for the victims. "We must do more to address gun violence," she tweeted at the time. "Americans should be able to go to a bowling alley and be safe."
